EU and Africa strengthen cooperation on digital transformation

The Commission Services and Smart Africa signed an Administrative Arrangement to enhance cooperation and support a human-centric digital transformation of Africa. The partnership was formalised during a high-level roundtable discussion with European and African government representatives, private sector leaders and civil society.

This Administrative Arrangement aims to strengthen cooperation between the European Commission and Smart Africa based on a shared vision of an innovative, fair and sustainable digital transformation.

Concretely, the Administrative Arrangement sets out the following areas of collaboration:

• Support continued dialogue and joint initiatives across a variety of policy areas of mutual interest, such as secure connectivity, digital services and markets, cybersecurity, or artificial intelligence
• Strengthen capacity by developing digital skills and competencies, offering technical expertise to African Union Member States to facilitate the effective implementation of digital policies
• Contribute to the collaboration between Europe and Africa within various international organisations, to address global challenges and progress in their shared vision of the digital transformation

Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, Henna Virkkunen, said:

“This new agreement marks a joint ambition to create concrete results. Strengthening our digital cooperation with Africa is crucial in supporting the continent’s digital transformation. I look forward to continuing expanding our partnership with Smart Africa and the African Union and reinforce the economic links between Europe and Africa.”

Jozef Síkela, EU Commissioner for International Partnerships, emphasised:

“Better access to digital tools is essential for economic growth and bridging the digital divide between continents. Today’s agreements strengthen our successful partnership with Smart Africa, enabling us to accelerate digital transformation while boosting competitiveness and innovation.”

Background

Smart Africa is an international alliance founded in 2014 with the support of the African Union and promoting digitalisation of the African continent. It currently represents 41 African countries.

Smart Africa is the reference African organisation to act at continental and national levels on digital transformation.

The Administrative Arrangement between the European Commission and Smart Africa will allow to structure the cooperation between the Commission and Smart Africa in the areas of regulatory cooperation; capacity building and technical assistance; cooperation in multilateral fora; cooperation on international standardisation; secure connectivity and digital infrastructures; e-governance and e-commerce; and emerging technologies and innovation, including AI.

The strengthened partnership is set to create a sustainable, inclusive digital landscape in Africa, empowering societies and transforming economies.

The Administrative Arrangement was signed by Director-General Koen Doens (DG INTPA), Director- General Roberto Viola (DG CONNECT) and by Mr Lacina Koné, Director General and CEO of Smart Africa.